The U.S. state of Washington has the sixth most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States.[3] The LDS Church is the 2nd largest denomination in Washington, behind the Roman Catholic Church.[4]
 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Area | US West |
| Members | 282,266 (2024)[1] |
| Stakes | 61 |
| Wards | 424 |
| Branches | 49 |
| Total Congregations | 473 |
| Missions | 7 |
| Temples | 4 operating 2 announced 6 total |
| FamilySearch Centers | 97[2] |
History
edit| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1920 | 1,199 |
| 1930 | 3,443 |
| 1940 | 5,113 |
| 1950 | 11,551 |
| 1960 | 35,701 |
| 1970 | 67,203 |
| 1980* | 138,000 |
| 1990* | 189,000 |
| 1999 | 226,411 |
| 2009 | 257,710 |
| 2019 | 289,479 |
| 2024 | 282,266 |
| *Membership was published as a rounded number. Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Washington[1] | |
The first branch in Washington was created at Tacoma near the end of 1899, with its first stake being created at Seattle in 1938.[5] Washington's first temple was built in Bellevue in 1980. There are now also temples in Spokane, Richland, and Moses Lake. Temples have been announced in Tacoma and Vancouver.[6]
Early membership
editThe first known member of the Church moved to Washington in 1852,[5] with missionaries arriving in Washington Territory from California as early as 1854. Enough converts were baptized along the Lewis River in the southwest portion of the state that a congregation was created in that area. Tensions escalated to the death of one member in 1911, who was given a secret burial at night.
Members of the Church helped construct the Oregon Short Line Railroad in the 1880s. By 1930, nearly two thousand members lived within the state with chapels located in the Puget Sound Region and in Spokane.[5]
In the 1920s and 1930s, local members participated in annual caravans, traveling to attend the Cardston Alberta Temple in Canada, which was the closest temple to the region at the time. Some caravan participants would travel more than 1,600 mi (2,600 km). With the completion of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple in 1945 temple attendance shifted that direction until the temple near Seattle was dedicated in 1980.[7]
Central Washington development
editIrrigation projects by the United States Bureau of Reclamation in Central Washington saw many members move to the state. Initially, these members settled in the Yakima Valley with branches forming in Yakima and Toppenish drawn by a new Utah-Idaho Sugar Company factory. A branch in Walla Walla was part of the Stake in Union, Oregon.
In 1940, a Spokane businessman and church member was called to be the leader of the Northwestern States Mission. Scattered missionary work had occurred in the region prior to this, but more concentrated missionary activity didn't begin until closer to this time.[7]
As part of the development around the White Bluffs area, a local real estate agent traveled to the Cache Valley in Utah to sell plots of farmland. Some Cache Valley residents had been interested in moving out of the area to farm because farming plots had become too small or scarce to be economically productive. About 15 families moved to White Bluffs and formed a branch there around 1940.[7]
Shortly after settling, church members and others around White Bluffs were forcibly relocated when the U.S. Government confiscated the land to build the Hanford Site as part of the Manhattan Project. Many of the relocated residents moved to nearby farming communities. Meanwhile, construction and wartime activity at Hanford became another means to bring Latter-day Saints into the state.
A large branch formed in Richland and after the war was over, the church was granted a lease from the U.S. Government to build a church building within the city. This church building, located near the city center, was the first non-government construction in Richland since the start of the Hanford Project in 1943. Groundbreaking was in 1949 and the Richland Stake formed as the third stake in Washington a few years later.[8]
After World War II, the Columbia Basin Project resumed to bring water from the Columbia River to the arid land north of Pasco. Many Latter-day Saints from Idaho and Utah settled on this land as new irrigated tracts were opened from the 1950s to the 1980s. Church members were particularly successful because many had prior experience farming in states where they came from, which are also fairly arid. A stake was organized in Moses Lake in 1954 to accommodate this increased membership and Adams County continued to hold the highest rate of church membership in Washington in 2010.[7][9]
Church owned farmland
editIn the 1960s the church-owned Utah and Idaho Sugar Company worked with local investors to acquire and build irrigation infrastructure for farmland in Walla Walla County. This enterprise expanded Benton County in the 1970s and came to be known as AgriNorthwest in 1986 and is an investment property of the church as well as a contributor to the Church Welfare System and other philanthropic activity.[10] AgriNorthwest expanded in the 21st Century by buying more properties in Washington and Oregon.[11]
County statistics
editList of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives:[9] Note: Each county adherent count reflects meetinghouse location of congregation and not by location of residence. Census count reflects location of residence which may skew percent of population where adherents reside in a different county as their congregational meetinghouse.
| County | Congregations | Adherents | % of Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 9 | 2,245 | 11.99 |
| Asotin | 2 | 1,457 | 6.74 |
| Benton | 31 | 14,294 | 8.16 |
| Chelan | 7 | 2,777 | 3.83 |
| Clallam | 7 | 3,102 | 4.34 |
| Clark | 37 | 20,793 | 4.89 |
| Columbia | 1 | 286 | 7.01 |
| Cowlitz | 7 | 4,513 | 4.41 |
| Douglas | 3 | 797 | 2.07 |
| Ferry | 1 | 296 | 3.92 |
| Franklin | 19 | 7,338 | 9.39 |
| Garfield | 0 | ||
| Grant | 19 | 7,562 | 8.49 |
| Grays Harbor | 6 | 3,254 | 4.47 |
| Island | 4 | 2,335 | 2.97 |
| Jefferson | 2 | 876 | 2.93 |
| King | 110 | 56,985 | 2.95 |
| Kitsap | 19 | 11,093 | 4.42 |
| Kittitas | 5 | 1,702 | 4.16 |
| Klickitat | 2 | 945 | 4.65 |
| Lewis | 7 | 4,304 | 5.70 |
| Lincoln | 1 | 215 | 2.03 |
| Mason | 4 | 2,587 | 4.26 |
| Okanogan | 4 | 1,153 | 2.80 |
| Pacific | 2 | 806 | 3.85 |
| Pend Oreille | 1 | 112 | 0.86 |
| Pierce | 52 | 33,152 | 4.17 |
| San Juan | 1 | 323 | 2.05 |
| Skagit | 6 | 3,870 | 3.31 |
| Skamania | 1 | 409 | 3.70 |
| Snohomish | 41 | 22,684 | 3.18 |
| Spokane | 48 | 24,246 | 5.15 |
| Stevens | 4 | 1,829 | 4.20 |
| Thurston | 18 | 10,774 | 4.27 |
| Wahkiakum | 1 | 212 | 5.33 |
| Walla Walla | 6 | 2,468 | 4.20 |
| Whatcom | 10 | 5,438 | 2.70 |
| Whitman | 5 | 1,792 | 4.00 |
| Yakima | 17 | 8,243 | 3.39 |
Stakes
edit
As of January 2026, Washington had the following stakes:
| Stake | Organized | Mission | Temple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington Washington | 24 Oct 2010 | Washington Everett | Seattle Washington |
| Auburn Washington | 28 Nov 1982 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Bellevue Washington South | 15 Mar 1981 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Bellevue Washington | 1 Dec 1963 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Bellingham Washington | 10 May 1981 | Washington Everett | Vancouver British Columbia |
| Bothell Washington | 22 Nov 1981 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Bremerton Washington | 19 Jun 1960 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Centralia Washington | 10 Sep 1978 | Washington Vancouver | Portland Oregon |
| Colville Washington | 18 Oct 1981 | Washington Spokane | Spokane Washington |
| Elma Washington | 28 Aug 1983 | Washington Vancouver | Seattle Washington |
| Enumclaw Washington | 13 Mar 2016 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Ephrata Washington | 15 Jun 1980 | Washington Yakima | Moses Lake Washington |
| Everett Washington | 25 Oct 1970 | Washington Everett | Seattle Washington |
| Federal Way Washington | 20 Nov 1977 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Gig Harbor Washington | 28 Sep 1952 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Graham Washington | 18 May 2003 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Kennewick Washington East | 31 Oct 1982 | Washington Kennewick | Columbia River Washington |
| Kennewick Washington | 24 Oct 1976 | Washington Kennewick | Columbia River Washington |
| Kent Washington | 14 Oct 1984 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Lacey Washington | 14 Sep 1997 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Lakewood Washington | 20 Oct 1985 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Lewiston Idaho North[a] | 19 Oct 1958 | Idaho Coeur d'Alene | Spokane Washington |
| Longview Washington | 4 Feb 1973 | Washington Vancouver | Portland Oregon |
| Lynnwood Washington | 14 May 1978 | Washington Everett | Seattle Washington |
| Maple Valley Washington | 22 Mar 1998 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Marysville Washington | 29 Mar 1981 | Washington Everett | Seattle Washington |
| Moses Lake Washington East | 1 Jun 2025 | Washington Yakima | Moses Lake Washington |
| Moses Lake Washington | 18 Apr 1954 | Washington Yakima | Moses Lake Washington |
| Mount Vernon Washington | 30 Jun 1963 | Washington Everett | Seattle Washington |
| Oak Harbor Washington | 23 Apr 2017 | Washington Everett | Seattle Washington |
| Olympia Washington | 27 Aug 1967 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Othello Washington | 12 Aug 1979 | Washington Yakima | Moses Lake Washington |
| Pasco Washington North | 20 Feb 2011 | Washington Kennewick | Columbia River Washington |
| Pasco Washington | 21 May 1967 | Washington Kennewick | Columbia River Washington |
| Port Angeles Washington | 23 Feb 1992 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Pullman Washington | 29 Sep 2024 | Washington Spokane | Spokane Washington |
| Rainier Oregon[a] | 8 Mar 1992 | Washington Vancouver | Portland Oregon |
| Renton Washington | 3 May 1970 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Richland Washington South | 26 Feb 2023 | Washington Kennewick | Columbia River Washington |
| Richland Washington | 25 Jun 1950 | Washington Kennewick | Columbia River Washington |
| Ridgefield Washington | 24 Jan 2016 | Washington Vancouver | Portland Oregon |
| Sammamish Valley Washington | 29 May 1977 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Seattle Washington North | 19 May 1957 | Washington Everett | Seattle Washington |
| Seattle Washington | 31 Jul 1938 | Washington Seattle | Seattle Washington |
| Selah Washington | 29 Apr 1979 | Washington Yakima | Moses Lake Washington |
| Silverdale Washington | 26 Aug 1979 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Snohomish Washington | 28 Jun 1992 | Washington Everett | Seattle Washington |
| South Hill Washington | 28 Nov 1982 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Spokane Washington East | 17 Oct 1971 | Washington Spokane | Spokane Washington |
| Spokane Washington Mount Spokane | 18 Jun 2016 | Washington Spokane | Spokane Washington |
| Spokane Washington North | 7 Jan 1979 | Washington Spokane | Spokane Washington |
| Spokane Washington | 29 Jun 1947 | Washington Spokane | Spokane Washington |
| Spokane Washington Valley | 3 Jun 2001 | Washington Spokane | Spokane Washington |
| Spokane Washington West | 12 Jan 1992 | Washington Spokane | Spokane Washington |
| Sumner Washington | 17 Jan 1971 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| Tacoma Washington | 19 Aug 1979 | Washington Tacoma | Seattle Washington |
| The Dalles Oregon[a] | 26 Jun 1977 | Washington Yakima | Portland Oregon |
| Vancouver Washington | 1 Dec 1963 | Washington Vancouver | Portland Oregon |
| Vancouver Washington East | 17 May 1998 | Washington Vancouver | Portland Oregon |
| Vancouver Washington North | 3 Nov 1985 | Washington Vancouver | Portland Oregon |
| Vancouver Washington West | 5 Nov 1978 | Washington Vancouver | Portland Oregon |
| Walla Walla Washington | 11 Mar 1979 | Washington Kennewick | Columbia River Washington |
| Wenatchee Washington | 29 Jan 1967 | Washington Yakima | Moses Lake Washington |
| West Richland Washington | 4 Nov 2012 | Washington Kennewick | Columbia River Washington |
| Yakima Washington | 24 May 1959 | Washington Yakima | Columbia River Washington |
Missions
editOn July 26, 1897, the Northwestern States Mission was organized to search out Latter-day Saints who had moved to Washington, Oregon, and Montana. On January 1, 1968, The Pacific Northwest Mission was created with Joe E. Whitesides as president. On June 10, 1970, its name changed to the Washington Mission and ultimately the Washington Seattle Mission on June 20, 1974. As of 2023, Washington is home to seven missions, three of which are east of the Cascade Mountains, and four are on the west side.
| Mission | Organized |
|---|---|
| Washington Everett Mission[12] | July 1, 2001 |
| Washington Kennewick Mission[13] | July 1, 2002 |
| Washington Seattle Mission | January 1, 1968 |
| Washington Spokane Mission[14] | July 1, 1978 |
| Washington Tacoma Mission[15] | July 1, 1990 |
| Washington Vancouver Mission[16] | July 1, 2013 |
| Washington Yakima Mission[17] | July 1, 2015 |
Temples
edit| Temples in and near Washington ()
Temples in Washington or with districts |
Washington currently has four temples in operation. A fifth temple, the Tacoma Washington Temple, was announced by President Russell M. Nelson in his concluding talk of the Sunday afternoon session of the October 2022 General Conference on Sunday, October 2, 2022, to be built in Tacoma, Washington. [18] A sixth temple, the Vancouver Washington Temple, was announced October 1, 2023. In addition, members in the Bellingham Washington Stake are served by the Vancouver British Columbia Temple[19] and members in and around Vancouver, Washington are served by the Portland Oregon Temple.[20]
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| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: |
Bellevue, Washington, United States November 15, 1975 by Spencer W. Kimball May 27, 1978 by Marion G. Romney November 17, 1980 by Spencer W. Kimball 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m2) on a 23.5-acre (9.5 ha) site - designed by Emil B. Fetzer | |||||
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| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style: |
Spokane Valley, Washington, United States August 13, 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley October 10, 1998 by F. Melvin Hammond August 21, 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley 10,700 sq ft (990 m2) on a 2-acre (0.81 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design | |||||
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| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: Style: |
Richland, Washington, United States April 2, 2000 by Gordon B. Hinckley October 28, 2000 by Stephen A. West November 18, 2001 by Gordon B. Hinckley 16,880 sq ft (1,568 m2) on a 2.88-acre (1.17 ha) site Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by A & E Services, Joseph E. Marty Architect | |||||
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| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Dedicated: Size: |
Moses Lake, Washington, United States 7 April 2019 by Russell M. Nelson[21] 10 October 2020 by David L. Stapleton[22] 17 September 2023 by Quentin L. Cook[23] 28,933 sq ft (2,688.0 m2) on a 17.2-acre (7.0 ha) site | |||||
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| Location: Announced: Groundbreaking: Size: |
Camas, Washington, United States 1 October 2023 by Russell M. Nelson[24][25] 23 August 2025 by Mark A. Bragg[26] 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m2) on a 15.11-acre (6.11 ha) site | |||||
 |
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| Location: Announced: Size: |
Federal Way, Washington 2 October 2022 by Russell M. Nelson[27][28] 45,000 sq ft (4,200 m2) on a 11.6-acre (4.7 ha) site | |||||
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edit | |||||
| Location: Announced: |
Marysville, Washington 19 April 2026 by Dallin H. Oaks[29] | |||||
See also
edit
References
edit- 1 2 "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by State:Washington", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved May 29, 2023
- ↑ Category:Washington Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved May 29, 2023
- ↑ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)
- ↑ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2021. Note:While it's the 2nd largest denomination in Washington, it's the third largest denomination when "nondenominational" is considered as a denomination.
- 1 2 3 LDS Church News - United States information: Washington
- ↑ Washington - LDS Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership
- 1 2 3 4 Jorgensen, Rick B (November 1, 2002). A History of the Latter-Day Saints in the Columbia Basin of Central Washington 1850-1972 (Report). Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ↑ Wilson, JoAnne K (1997). Tempered by Faith - A Brief History of the Richland, Washington Stake.
- 1 2 "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". Thearda.com. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ↑ Stormo, Allison (April 29, 2020). "Free potatoes and onions for Tri-Cities families. Too many stuck in storage". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Our Story". AgriNorthwest. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ↑ Washington Everett Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
- ↑ Washington Kennewick Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
- ↑ Washington Spokane Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
- ↑ Washington Tacoma Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
- ↑ Washington Vancouver Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
- ↑ Washington Yakima Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Retrieved April 10, 2016
- ↑
- ↑ Vancouver British Columbia LDS Temple District
- ↑ Portland Oregon LDS Temple District
- ↑ "Prophet Announces Eight New Temples at April 2019 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, April 7, 2019
- ↑ "Groundbreaking Held for Moses Lake Washington Temple", newsroom, LDS Church, October 10, 2020, retrieved September 28, 2023
- ↑ "Two US Temples and One in Brazil Dedicated on the Same Day", newsroom, LDS Church, September 17, 2023, retrieved September 28, 2023
- ↑ Where the 20 new Latter-day Saint temples will be built as Russell Nelson’s record tally continues to rise, Salt Lake Tribune, October 1, 2023
- ↑ "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 20 New Temples", Newsroom, LDS Church, October 1, 2023
- ↑ As verified here.
- ↑ "President Nelson announces 18 new temples, including 4 near Mexico City, as conference closes", Deseret News, Deseret News, October 2, 2022
- ↑ "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 18 New Houses of the Lord", Newsroom, LDS Church, October 2, 2022
- ↑ Church of Jesus Christ announces a temple in Washington during area devotional, Deseret News, April 19, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
Further reading
edit- Bolton, Herbert E. (January 1926). "The Mormons in the Opening of the Great West". 17. Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine: 40–72.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Horne, J. Arthur (1968). Latter-day Saints in the Great Northwest. Seattle, WA: Graphic Art Press. OCLC 42251464.
- Jorgensen, Rick B. (2002). A History of the Latter-day Saints in the Columbia Basin of Central Washington, 1850-1972 (M.A. thesis). Brigham Young University.
- Silvester, Melanie L. (April 2002). "A Branch of Faith in the Forest". Ensign. Vol. 32, no. 4. pp. 38–42.
- Smart, William B. (January 1961). "Mormonism's First Foothold in the Pacific Northwest". 29 (1). Utah Historical Quarterly: 21–30.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Stinebaugh, Thomas L. (2000). "Washington State". Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. pp. 1316–1317. ISBN 1-57345-822-8.
External links
edit- Newsroom (Washington)
- ComeUntoChrist.org Latter-day Saints Visitor site
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official site